Archive for the ‘Rumor’ Category
By: Jon Christensen on March 8th, 2010 am31 10:45 am
According to a source over at VG247, Sony is set to hand out a press release regarding their anticipated motion controller tomorrow. Heavily rumored to be called Arc, the unit is expected to be ship with two separate components, much like how the Wiimote has the Nunchuck attachment; however, nothing has been considered solid evidence to prove this.
When the peripheral was first announced last June during E3, it was shown off as one unit. But now it seems as though Sony took the Nintendo route and believing it’s a necessity to have two units in order to play most games. Hopefully if all goes to plan, we should know everything about the peripheral this Tuesday night, around 5PM Pacific Time.
After the jump, check out my thoughts about the peripheral. (more…)
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By: Jon Christensen on January 20th, 2010 pm31 7:33 pm
Nintendo of America has gone out of their way to once again trademark the 2001 launch title for the Gamecube, Luigi’s Mansion. Obviously, reading that sentence would sound like Nintendo is planning on making a sequel for the less-than-steller videogame starring Mario’s brother, but I wouldn’t jump to a conclusion.
Nintendo has always been a company that protects its own property, even if they plan on not developing it. According to Kotaku, a few trademarks for Luigi’s Mansion were about to expire or already did in 2009. So this could be nothing more than protecting what they feel is theirs. Although, the website pointed out that maybe we could possibly see the re-release of the original title, under the Play Control label, something Nintendo did with a few titles including Pikmin 2.
The game could work well with the Wii, considering you could move around the Wiimote just as Luigi uses his vacuum in the game. Sadly though, I don’t think the game would be enhanced dramatically — so if this the idea, I’m not looking forward to it.
I didn’t think Luigi’s Mansion was a terrible game, in fact I think a lot of gamers unfairly blasted the title because they wanted Nintendo to make an sequel to Mario 64. Instead, they got Luigi doing his best Ghostbusters impression. Although, if we just get the same game, I won’t be excited because we’re talking about a first-generation Gamecube game. If Nintendo is planning on releasing that has something to do Luigi’s Mansion, I just hope it’s a brand new title altogether. It should take advantage of the Wiimote, instead of using the exact same control scheme — but instead of using buttons, you wave your hands around the air, which is what other Play Control games gave done in the past.
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By: Jon Christensen on January 20th, 2010 am31 12:50 am
Lately, Microsoft has been trying to escape the public perception that Xbox Live is just for online gaming. For more then two years, the company has allowed the users of the subscription based service to rent or buy films, listen to music and update their latest status on Facebook, among other things. In Europe, Gold Members are even allowed to stream Sky TV directly to their Xbox 360, thanks to Live. So, this next story shouldn’t be that much of a surprise.
According to the New York Times, who spoke with insiders, Microsoft is already into heavy-talks with the Walt Disney Company and both might allow ESPN to be broadcast onto the gaming network. While their wasn’t much detail on what Microsoft has planned for ESPN on the 360, the Times suggested it could be something similar to ESPN360.com, which has no affiliate with the console, even with the similar name. That particular website allows its visitors to watch several sporting events around the world at one time. It even backlogs them, so in case one fails to watch the competition live, they can view it at a later date.
Of course, this is nothing but speculation and if it ends up being true, I hope both ESPN and Microsoft tries to innovate the idea even further than just streaming an event. Videogames systems are meant to be interactive, and if ESPN plans on streaming a show on a console, they should follow the rules. Maybe allowing the viewer to control the camera angles or even include live polls, would make some people rather watch the big game on their Xbox 360,than TV. Actually, if they don’t do something interactive, I don’t even see the point of streaming such a channel. Wouldn’t sports fans rather watch it on cable, instead downgrading the quality of both the picture and sound on a videogame system? Both Walt Disney and Microsoft needs to give the gamer a reason to stream a sport onto their Xbox.
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By: Jon Christensen on January 5th, 2010 pm31 5:21 pm
We already know Treyarch is working on the seventh installment of the Call of Duty Series. For the last couple of years or so, Infinity Ward, who originally started working on the famous first-person shooter games, would one year release a Call of Duty, but the following year Treyarch would launch the next in the serious. It’s a way for Activision to keep milking the franchise fresh. It has been the pattern for awhile now — and for the time being, it’s gonna stay that way.
The last time Treyarch released a Call of Duty game was back in 2008, when World at War was launched. If you didn’t play it, you should be able to guess the story was told in the World War II era; however, rumors have suggested the studio plans on having the player fight a different war this time around.
A few months ago, we heard Treyarch is going to try and have the narrative be told during the Vietnam Conflict; however, nothing has been confirmed. Today, planetxbox360 is reporting that it is indeed going to be set in Vietnam, according to whom they call “reliable sources.” They also have written about some details about what we should expect when the game hits store shelves.
The spy told the website that Treyarch plans on focusing “heavily” on the story, and will try to capture the struggles of each soldier starring in the videogame. Of course, as the player fights though the game, the same engine which was developed by Infinity Ward will be included in the first-person shooter — obviously. Treyarch, apparently also wants to have the pacing of the Steven Spielberg’s World War II classic, Saving Private Ryan, but also “borrow” some of the action scenes from Platoon, Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket.
So when should we see the title? Well according to the site, winter of 2010. While all the information above sounds legit, I’m pretty sure I could have guessed it all. To me, that only means one of two things. One, the site is making this stuff up, which I don’t think they are. Or two, Treyarch isn’t being as original as they should be. Hmmm…
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By: Jon Christensen on January 1st, 2010 pm31 1:58 pm
Even before DJ Hero was shipped into stores last year, we heard rumblings about how Activision already had confidence in the game and had given FreeStyleGames the greenlight to develop a sequel. Of course, some people had their doubts of a second version because when the game was released, it didn’t necessarily sell the way the publisher thought it would have. Today, we have some more encouraging news that suggests that Activision is still planning on releasing a DJ Hero 2.
The tidbit comes from DJ David Guetta, a 42-year-old DJ whose music has been available for download for the original title. The DJ told Kelowna that he will be helping Activision to develop what he calls “the number two version.”
“I think it’s amazing, this game, and I’m going to work on the No. 2 version,”
Guetta went on and talked about how the intensity of the music game really gives the player the feeling of being a real DJ; however, he even finds the most difficult setting so hard, he can’t beat it.
“I think it’s amazing, this game, and I’m going to work on the No. 2 version,” Guetta says. “It’s a really crazy game. After 10 minutes, you get the rush that a DJ gets after 10 years of practicing. I have fun with it, but you know what? I can’t go to the maximum level. It’s too difficult for me. It’s crazy.”
I actually really enjoyed DJ Hero, it’s not nearly as innovative as Guitar Hero or Rock Band, but it did one thing great — which was the music. Countless times I felt my body moving to the beat of the original mash-ups, and have wished many times of a release actual soundtrack. However, the game did have flaws. These negatives mostly stemmed from the lack of multiplayer options, which really hurt the title.
Music games of late, really focus on playing with other people in the room. Sadly, with the lack of modes, DJ Hero wasn’t the game of choice during some of my recent get-togethers. Hopefully if DJ Daivd Guetta is correct and a sequel is on the way — multiplayer will be the area FreeStyleGames tries to innovate.
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By: Jon Christensen on December 28th, 2009 pm31 5:45 pm
If you remember correctly, Canadian Community Manager of EA tweeted that his company was working on a brand new sports IP. Most people wrote it off and figured it was nothing more than a street style game, which we have already seen with the NBA, NFL and various other popular professional sport leagues. Although, according to a reliable source from destructoid, it will be nothing of the sort.
According to the insider, the publisher is developing a game called NFL Trainer, which is sounding like a exercise game for the football minded gamer. Apparently this new project for the Wii will focus on football exercises and workouts to give the player the edge on a real gridiron. The exclusive Wii game will coach players on how to throw the perfect spiral and will include football-type accessories, to help shape the gamer into a fierce competitor on the football field. Now of course this is nothing more than a rumor, but the gaming website did say their source has been right in the past, so there isn’t a reason not to believe him/her.
To me, if this ends up being true, it sounds like EA wants to release a exercise type game for the male demographic. Up until now, pretty much every game that involves the player to work out ends up being geared towards women. There really has yet to be a “fitness” title for men, so it’s sounding like EA will try and capitalize on this. Although, if this is the case I’m not sure why the company would just focus on the sport of Football. Seriously, how many gamers play the actual sport AND own a Wii?
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By: Jon Christensen on November 30th, 2009 pm30 12:49 pm
The official Facebook page for Duke Nukem has been updated with one picture. The caption for the image simply reads “D-Day,” with no other information on why or what the screenshot represents. Could this be a completely new Duke Nukem that is on the horizon, or is this an image from the now defunct Duke Nukem: Forever game? Nobody seems to have an answer.
If you analyzes the picture, you’ll notice it somewhat looks like a scene from the leaked footage of Forever showing Duke battling a monster/robot in a football stadium, which was first seen back in May. Although, most of that footage was definitely a callback to the original games.
Hopefully more information on what this ‘D-Day’ image actually means is forthcoming.
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By: Jon Christensen on November 9th, 2009 am30 12:11 am
“WTF?“
Since the death of Michael Jackson, everyone has been trying to figure out ways to have a “tribute” for the legendary performer. Sure, some people could take it as making a quick buck on someone’s untimely death — but we’re not here to judge… I think. Anyway, the videogame industry hasn’t done to much up till this point, even though it was somewhat known that Jackson was a avid gamer to a degree.
The PEGI, the European version of the ESRB ratings board we have here in the US, has posted what could be a possible leak about an upcoming ‘classic’ headed towards Nintendo’s Virtual Console. According to the site, the 1989 Sega Genesis game — as well as other platforms — Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker is going to be available as a download for the Wii. While the game was far from being good, it was known at the time as having decent graphics and memorable music, which was just “bleeps & bloops” of Jackson songs.
The Genesis version followed Jackson as he tried to save children, whom were kidnapped by the evil “Mr. Big.” In order to save the kids, Jackson used a few ‘fighting’ styles against his enemies, that mostly reassemble some of his dance moves — including the ‘Moonwalk.’ No word when we should expect to see the game, or if it even heads to the stateside.
via: nintendolife
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By: Jon Christensen on November 5th, 2009 pm30 3:18 pm
Up top and after the jump, we have apparent photos taken from a cellphone of what will be Bungie’s last Halo game called, Halo: Reach for the Xbox 360. The photos were first posted on the Major League Gaming forums under the name Tom Morello; hence the Microsoft Paint watermarked quality. The pictures look legit and if they’re not — it’s a pretty damn good fake on his part.
This is the first thing on the Internet since the title was announced back at E3 and yet, not much is known about the new project. The only thing that is clear; it will be in stores in the fall of next year. The blurry pictures are hard to grasp how the game will look, but to me, the guns look even more detailed than before. If that’s the case — maybe Bungie is taking the Killzone 2 theory, which is; the player sees the gun the most while experiencing the game — why not make the weapon the most detailed thing inside the videogame.
In the picture above, the player can see all of his squamates’ health and names. The player can see all the perks each player he/she has, meaning Halo will take the Modern Warfare approach and anyone who is playing can pick and choose what strength or weakness they’ll have in multiplayer.
According to “Morello,” a few perks he saw were sprinting, cloaking and a hologram. To sprint, the player simply presses the LB button to run faster. The cloaking will obviously make you invisible; however, your radar is jammed and no one can hear you speak over on Xbox Live. The Hologram will create a fake you, and enemies won’t know which one is real and which one is the fake — giving you a huge advantage.
In the picture above, the player can see all of his squamates’ health and names. The player can see all the perks each player he/she has, meaning Halo will take the Modern Warfare approach and anyone who is playing can pick and choose what strength or weakness they’ll have in multiplayer.
According to “Morello,” a few perks he saw were sprinting, cloaking and a hologram. To sprint, the player simply presses the LB button to run faster. The cloaking will obviously make you invisible; however, your radar is jammed and no one can hear you speak over on Xbox Live. The Hologram will create a fake you, and enemies won’t know which one is real and which one is the hologram — giving you a huge advantage.
In other pictures, you can kind of see the arm of the main character we’ll play as. It doesn’t look like a Master Chief Officer, but rather a Marine, which is the class we played as in Halo: ODST. Hopefully with the leaked, details will start to emerge soon.
Again, after the jump check out the rest of the pictures. (more…)
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By: Jon Christensen on October 29th, 2009 am31 9:14 am
The French site Logic-sunrise is said to have a source inside Nintendo and is reporting the Japan company is underway developing a brand new Wii. The translation, thanks to the guys over at MaxConsole, said this “Wii 2” will have full 1080P by using a Blu-ray drive, which will also help the dreaded piracy issues the system has had to face. According to the site, Nintendo plans on releasing this “so-called” upgrade around the third quarter of 2010, and will be a worldwide launch. If this all ends up being true, than Nintendo will give the consumer the option to trade-in their original Wii system and mark down the price of this supposed new one.
Could it be true? Yeah, I guess. But I do have some problems with it. Sure, Nintendo has been riding high these days with the Wii. Since it launched a few days after the PlayStation 3 in 2006, and about a year after the Xbox 360 — the company has gone on to sell about 56 million units. Since that time, Nintendo has seen a little drop-off of consumer interest around the globe, but one could attribute that trend do to that fact so many already own the system. So I could see Nintendo wanting to shake things up a little bit. But adding a Blu-ray drive doesn’t seem like that would help return the hype for the system, and honestly — it seems like a poor marketing strategy. Which is why, I don’t believe it in the end. Another thing that makes this rumor seem bogus, is this trade in policy. Why would Nintendo ever want people to trade-in their older systems to get a discount? What would Nintendo do with possibly millions of Wiis hanging around? And what would be the benefit for such a program for Nintendo? When has Nintendo or any other company for that matter, offer such a trade-in deal besides a retail store?
via: Ripten
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By: Jon Christensen on October 22nd, 2009 pm31 1:15 pm
Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, had a chance to sit down with Gizmodo and discuss the future of the Xbox brand. During the interview, Ballmer was asked if one day we would see a Blu-ray drive included with the Xbox 360. While it didn’t seem likely that one would be packaged with a new system, he did reveal something rather interesting. “Well I don’t know if we need to put Blu-ray in there [Xbox 360]—you’ll be able to get Blu-ray drives as accessories,” he told the website.
What does he mean? You could definitely interpret what he was trying to convey is that Microsoft is going to sell separately a Blu-ray accessory, much like they did with the now defunct HDDVD-drives. If this is the case, I’m pretty sure it was a slip-up. While he might have just admitted that a Blu-ray player was coming to the Xbox 360, he wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about the idea. Right after he spoke about these “drives,” he than proceeded to talk about the future of movies is not Blu-ray and he believes its on-demand, as well as digital downloads — an opinion I happen to agree with as well.
To watch the interview, click here.
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By: Jon Christensen on September 20th, 2009 pm30 11:57 pm
Over the course of the week or so, store flyers started to circulate about a possible $50 price cut for the Nintendo Wii console, which currently is listed at $250. At this very moment, the system is the second most expensive on the market because customers can still purchase a Xbox 360 Arcade bundle for $199. Even with the countless leaked advertisements suggesting the price reduction, Nintendo for some reason has denied the rumors and they have said no price cut is in the future for the Wii. Of course nobody believes them either, to much evidence has leaked to think otherwise.
A source over at Nintendojo has reported that a price cut is indeed coming and we should see it nationwide starting on September 27th. What is probably not a coincidence is the fact the Tokyo Game Show starts on September 24th, along with the Nintendo press conference happening around the same time, so most likely that is when the confirmation of a price cut will happen.
I don’t think a price cut is something Nintendo really wants to do, but at the same time I think the company understands they don’t actually have a choice. Recently, Nintendo has had some issues trying to sell the system and now with the Microsoft and Sony slashing their prices on their consoles, Nintendo has to follow. Besides trying to innovate the industry by introducing a motion controller, the company also took pride on being the cheapest system on the market. Right now they’re not and when you compare hardware specs with their competitors, it’s hard to convince the public to go with a Wii.
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By: Jon Christensen on August 24th, 2009 pm31 3:53 pm
May of last year, Ubisoft released a surprising trailer for Beyond Good & Evil 2. It confirmed the company was already underway planning a sequel to a game that could be one of the most underrated titles in gaming history. It was surprising because the original game sold poorly — that everyone figured a sequel could never happen. We were also told that Ubisoft Paris was the team behind the development process.
Fast forward to July of this year, and a impressive video emerged claiming to be Beyond Good & Evil 2 and it showed off a graphics engine that was looking mighty awesome. After that video was released, fans of the original title took a deep breath because it proved the game was still in development.
Now we bring some terrible, terrible news. Ubisoft might have put Beyond Good & Evil 2 on hold. The news comes from one of the Gamersyde’s contributors, who first tweeted the news.
“I got confirmation at Cologne’s Gamescom that Beyond Good & Evil 2 is on hold for now. No idea if it’s def or temporary but it sucks.”
Details are scarce right now and the biggest question we all have, is if the title is just on a temporary hold or if it’s completely cancelled. Also why is it on hold? Was the development turning out to be poor? Or did Ubisoft come to a realization that since first title sold poorly, so would a sequel. As soon as more information becomes available, we’ll bring it to you.
via: gamezine
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By: Jon Christensen on August 20th, 2009 am31 10:10 am
I’m pretty sure Gamestop had some secret inside information about the PlayStation 3 price cut and the Slim model, before the unveiling to the public. Within minutes after the revelation of the price reduction and and the official announcement of the PS3 Slim, Gamestop was already putting out signs saying the PS3 is now only $299. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Gamestop knew or any other retail company for that matter. Since there was going to be a price cut that soon — companies need to prepare to advertise the price reduction. On top of that, there is some business that has to be taken care of – like rebate forms between the retail companies and Sony.
Now Gamestop has listed a shipping date for the PS3 Slim. According to their website, if you pre-order the system right now the company will ship the new model to your house on August 24, 2009. That is about a week before Sony’s estimation which was said to be in the ‘first week of September.’ Of course, that estimation was for when the world will get it, and did not specify America — so the 24th could be a reasonable shipping date.
We’ll keep you updated if this is the official launch date of the PS3 Slim.
(Thanks Edgar)
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By: Jon Christensen on August 19th, 2009 am31 12:44 am
Well, well, well, what do we have here? It seems as though Sony is planning on releasing another version of the PlayStation 3 Slim. PS3News uncovered an interesting FCC document, which might prove this new rumor. According to the filed papers, the FCC not only got their hands on a 120GB model of the PS3 Slim back in March to test, but they also received a 250GB model as well.
If you look at the image up top, you’ll notice the ‘model number’ CECH-2001B highlighted and includes a 250GB hard-drive. The model announced earlier today is the CECH-2001A. One of the models comes with an “A,” while the other ends in a “B.”My guess is whenever this 250GB system is released, the system will be back at the $399 mark.
It should also be noted that when Sony submitted these systems to the FCC, they were definitely trying to be sneaky and fool the gaming press. Instead of using their Sony Computer Entertainment America name, they went by a fictitious title and called themselves Sand Dollar Enterprise. However, they used Sony’s own Foster City, CA address.
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